A/V Geeks 16mm Lunch 3-31-2026

Hello everybody. I'm Skip Elshiemer. Welcome to the AV Geeks Lunchtime Streaming Show where I have either a cold, flu, allergies, I don't know what it is. But um yeah, I am not firing on all cylinders today. So today, unfortunately, is another pre-recorded show. But I appreciate you joining us. We have lots of great stuff to watch. Uh so uh let me just announce uh I'm going to be convalescing most of the day, sleeping, so that I can participate tonight I think at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time with the Found Footage Festival Toe Tapping Tournament. Uh you guys picked us great stuff. There was a little bit of an upset from the previous uh time that we kind of pulled everybody. Um so the what I'm going to do is I'll show you the two um but uh Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and tell you. So um the We're Not Candy uh is the is the second place, and uh Maltesers Unicorn is first place. So we'll watch those. Then we're going to watch um America's Safest Tire, which of course is uh a tire film by the Fisk Tire Company. It's a company that no longer exists. Uh then it's time to visit Ant City. Uh it's a film about ants and social insects. Then Beauties on the Beach which uh is part of the um Kaleidoscope uh John Kieran's uh Kieran's Kaleidoscope, which was a I think a syndicated series where he talks about uh science and animals. Then finally, this is an interesting uh discovery uh from the Prelinger archive that we've been They've been slowly scanning stuff, and we've been uploading stuff uh for on their behalf. Uh this is Black Golem. And this is uh envisioning the Golem mythos uh but with uh all black cast. And uh it's kind of interesting. Uh I've watched a little bit of it. Um and so yeah, hopefully you guys will enjoy that. Um Thanks so much for watching today. I appreciate your eyeballs. I wish I was still feeling better, cuz guess what? My neck still hurts. Um and that's still [clears throat] a problem. Uh but you don't want to listen to me uh prattle on about my uh physical health. You want to watch films. So we're going to watch um We're Not Candy. Then we're going to watch a little uh short segment, the song. Then we're going to watch uh the song from Maltesers Unicorn. Then we're going to jump into America's Safest Tire. Thanks so much for watching today. Hopefully, I'll see you live tonight uh on the Found Footage Festival. Again, that's at 9:00 p.m. on their YouTube channel. And I think there's an opportunity for you to vote at the end. Um and so I'm counting on you guys to help push us over the top. Um everybody take care. Uh I might be watching and commenting in the comments. Um but I might also might be sleeping. So everybody take care, and we will see you soon. Bye. Hey, [music] what are we doing out of the bottle? This is dangerous. A little kid might come along and think we were [music] candy. And that would be awful because we're medicine. He might even eat us. No. >> [singing] >> This is serious. Serious. We [music] could make you delirious. Delirious. You should have [music] a healthy fear of us. Fear of us. Too much of us is dangerous. We're not [music] candy. Believe us. Even though we look so fine and dandy, [music] when you're sick, we come in handy, but We're not candy. >> [music] >> Doctors [music] tell the pharmacy Pharmacy. types of pills [music] that you will need. You will need. And he knows the harm that we can be. [music] >> We can be. If we're not taken carefully. We're [music] not candy. Believe us. Even though we look so fine [music] and dandy, when you're sick, we come in [music] handy, but we're not candy. >> [music] [singing and music] >> Let's get back in the bottle. Yeah, come on. Let's go. That's where we belong. >> [music] >> That's better. >> [music] >> Ask me why my hands are clapping. [music and singing] Ask me why my toes are tapping. Something great's about to happen. 1 2 3 Feel so high, I'm on the ceiling. No more lying and no more squealing. Ask me how this brand >> [music] >> new feeling feels to me. Well, to tell the truth I feel like singing. Look what I've achieved. >> [music] >> It's great to be relieved. I'm confessing that I've learned [music] my lesson. To tell the truth, I feel like flying. But now I think I could never knew it could feel so good. To tell the truth Ask me why my hands are clapping. [music] Ask me why my toes are tapping. Something great's begun to >> [music] >> happen. Glory be. >> [singing] >> We believe in [music] our boy Brian. Told the truth without half trying. Everyone [music] who's through with lying, sing with me. >> [music] >> Tell the truth, I feel LIKE SINGING, GLORY AND BEHOLD. >> [music and singing] >> IT'S TIME TO JOIN the fold. Non-believer, [singing] get that fever. To tell the truth, I feel like flying. [music] But now >> [singing] >> I think I could Hallelujah, it feels so [music] good. Hallelujah, it feels SO GOOD. TO TELL THE TRUTH. >> [music] >> TO TELL THE TRUTH. TO TELL THE TRUTH. >> [music] [music] >> MOST unusual city is Hollywood, California, thrill and glamour capital of the world. Beauty is old stuff in Hollywood. Only the tourists turn their heads for movie stars. >> [music] >> Those in the know always point out one building, home of the Hollywood stuntman. When this telephone rings, there's an airplane to be smashed, a car to be driven over a cliff. Good morning, Goldilocks. Good morning. How's the arm? Oh, it's okay. Anything new? They still want that jump stunt. Anything else? Why, yes. A tire company back east wants you to put two of their tires on one side of a car, any other new tires on the other. And then drive at high speed on a wet pavement and jam on the brakes. It's a sort of test. What? Roll the car over? No, that's all. That's all? That's what it says. And I get paid for that? Okay. When do I start? Monday afternoon. It's their money. Yes, and it's your neck. Hello there. Hiya. What's the dough? Well, this car has two ordinary conventional tread tires on one side. On the other, they're two Fisk Safety Flight tires. And we want to test these tires thoroughly. The first test is to drive >> I know. onto wet pavement and slam on the brakes. Wait. >> Okay, I got that. We have a fleet of test cars, but none of our men want to try the job because they're afraid the safety flight will hold so much better that the car will do a tailspin. Oh, I've been driving test cars for years, and I doubt if there's that much difference in tires. Let's try it. All right, if you're ready. All right, officer. Mike! Mike! All right. All right. All right, Mike. Sure you're all right, huh? I'm not hurt, boy. >> I'm not hurt, but I was kind of surprised. Boy, I never felt a tire grab the way that one did. They held just like that. The other side kept right on going. What's the business here? That tire is different than any tire you ever drove before. Yeah, I I found that out. You see these transverse inserts? You mean those white things? >> Well, we call them inserts. They're made of a special soft, but very tough white rubber. They divide the tread ribs into hundreds of flexible individual blocks of rubber, each one acting independently of the others, just as if they were actually separate. I I don't get it. Well, I'll show you. If I put the hard end of the pencil on paper and push it forward, it goes quite easily. But if I do it like this, it's a different story because the eraser end is flexible. It digs in, doesn't want to move. The tread of most tires is hard and unyielding. That's why it can't grip the road as the flexible blocks can, which go to make up the safety flight tread. Ah, now I get it. It's taken years of research to develop this tire. Let me show you the features which go to make this tire so completely different. Now, in the first place, if you looked inside at an end view of the cords in a tire, this is the ideal way to have them. But the old way wove across thread in like this. When the rubber was forced in around the cords, it's distributed unevenly. The threads interfere with perfect insulation. Now, here's a piece of ordinary cord fabric. You can see the uneven surface. And the threads tend to break and chafe and create internal heat. Fisk engineers found a way to eliminate the cross threads. And here it is. Nothing to interfere with the proper insulation of each cord. And at 40 mph by test, tires made of this cord run 15% cooler. Then there's a special bead lockup that works like this. The object is to eliminate the stiff area around the bead. The Fisk bead lockup permits a gradual change from the firm bead to the flexible sidewall. You can see its action this way. The conventional bead construction sets up a pronounced hinging like this, setting up heat and tending to break down the sidewall. Fisk engineers have built this new sidewall so that it tends to bend in a full arc without a lot of hinging, reducing the danger of blowouts. One reason why this is possible is that the tread is built so that the outer edge is directly above and within the rim flange, rim width they call it, and no overhanging shoulders, which in many tires tend to reduce this flexing area. You see, this tire rolls on seven deep ribs in continuous contact with the pavement. That means low resistance, quiet, smooth rolling. This seven-rib tread design makes it almost impossible to skid sideways. When you go to start and stop, each one of these little blocks tips and goes to work. Now, suppose for a second you just had the blocks, no inserts. You'd get a bite on the pavement, but uh the dirt would get in, and they'd tend to tear and chip and wear smooth, so that you'll have to have the tire recut. So, that's why Fisk has developed this highly elastic insert of tough white rubber. Also, the uh insert goes all the way down below the ribs, so that the non-skid efficiency is retained as the tire wears down. Look here. The minute I put a strain on this strip of rib, the softer white inserts permit the harder blocks to work freely, as if there were nothing between, each one digging in and getting traction that would be impossible with a conventional tire. That's why the Fisk safety flight tire is America's safest tire. It stops you in a straight line. It takes you safely around wet curves. I'd like to try a car with four of them. That's what we're going to do right now. You take your car with ordinary tires, and I'll take this one with safety flights all the way around. And let's see the difference. You take my car and let me have that one. Okay. Your stop was fully 20 ft shorter than the previous test. I never drove anything like this. They give you a real road control, don't they? Yes, and ride like a million dollars. No rumble or noise. I want a set of these babies. Will you take a trip with them? I find I make better time and use less gas doing it. Uh-huh. Jerry, with a set of these tires, I'll do that jump stunt I was worrying about. >> Oh, Mike, be careful. Maybe you'd like to come along. Well, yes, I'd like to, but just what is it? You might get a kick out of it. It's a stunt for a movie. I double for the leading man. He's supposed to drive a car off the road and jump over a row of cars. Jump over a row of cars? Yes. Here's the way it goes. Here he is. Turn them over. What if he had a blowout or skidded? He won't. Different from any tire heretofore offered motorists, the Fisk safety flight combines the silence and low rolling resistance of its seven-rib tread design with astonishing traction qualities which offer faster, more restful motoring with an entirely new sense of security. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> This is an anthill. In fact, it's an ant city, and a good size one. You see, ants are what we call social insects. They live in communities. Uh they live all over the world above, on, and under the ground, and some of them, like uh this species, live in trees. But you can find them from the Arctic waste to the tropical jungles and from the seashore to the timberline. The city that we're looking at is a good size one. It compares to uh well, say um Minneapolis or Cincinnati or New Orleans. I mean, a city of half a million uh busy inhabitants. And as in most American cities, uh they're largely composed of workers. Uh this is the interior of our uh ant city. It has main avenues and side streets and stores of different kinds, and uh the workers are busy uh storing food, taking care of the young, uh maintaining the uh exits, the city gates, doing all sorts of uh work. And they are all assigned to special tasks. Uh this is a queen. There are a few queens in the each uh ant community. They All they do is lay eggs. You'll notice their peculiar shape. Uh the rear section is like a large shining inkberry. And at certain seasons of the year there are winged males that appear. Now the queen does nothing but lay eggs, those small gelatinous looking things that you see. And inside those there develops this little grub. There is a magnified set of eggs showing the grubs developing inside. Now these are called larva, l a r v a. The worker ants, which are sterile females by the way, take care of the eggs, carry them to the incubator room so to speak, and see that they're not spoiled. Take care of them in cold weather and warm weather. And here we see some of the larva that have just hatched out of the egg. And there the workers appear to take care of the newborn larva right away. They clean it and carry it off to the Well, you might call it the playroom. And this larva uh the very shortly will spin a cocoon for itself and go to sleep inside [music] there while it changes into the shape and form of the adult ant. Now here is some of those cocoons. And incidentally, these cocoons are what is what are sold as ant eggs in pet shops as food for fish or birds or whatever. But they are not the eggs. We see these are the larva inside the cocoon that they have spun for themselves. Now these workers move them about according to the weather. When it's nice and sunny, they take these cocoons and carry them up where they can get some warmth and a touch of the sunlight. When it's time for the young ant to emerge from that cocoon, the ant young ant works from the inside scratching and chewing and struggling, >> [music] >> and the workers seeing this happen they come and help it from the outside. >> [music] >> Well, that's the young ant finally emerging from the casing that it's spun for itself, the cocoon. It takes the empty casing away and that's where another function of the working tribe comes in. They are street cleaners inside the city. They carry off all the debris including the empty cocoon cases. [music] As I said, at certain seasons there are winged forms in the ant colony. The queen develops wings and also the males appear at this season of the year only and they are winged. When you see one winged male appear, you know that the season's on and there will be a lot [music] of them shortly. Now here are the males milling around looking for the queen to show up. >> [music] >> And there is the queen, the large one in the middle. It's almost twice as large as the males. Well, the males start the displaying and going into their song and dance to see if they can win the hand of the female who leaves the and goes to some elevated position outside. There the males fight for her favor and finally one groom is chosen and they go off on their wedding trip. >> [music] [music] >> Well, finally she gnaws off her own wings and comes back to where it settles down to start a new community. Now the most important thing about the worker ants who do all the work in the community is their antennae. [music] Well, we call them their feelers. They do everything. They smell with them, feel with them, hear with them, and talk with them. Now there's a couple exchanging some very good gossip, I suspect, telling tales out of school. But these workers then undertake all the trouble of building a new community and they repair the roads for instance inside and they uh clean the streets among other things. You know, in a community of that size there are some deaths and they there's a burying squad. Now here's a burying squad >> [music] >> in operation carrying off a deceased relative. And there are always repairs to be made to the uh ant city itself, a good deal of construction work. And notice what large timbers they haul along for their size, I mean. Now if a man were as strong per pound as an ant is, he could carry a ton. >> [music] >> And of course there are the food crews, too. And they ants go out and attack caterpillars and things like that that were a good deal larger than they are themselves. Incidentally, they inject a little formic acid into their victims and that helps to stupefy them. But when they have them, why they gang up and carry them off like this and when they uh get them to the ant city, each one has his share of the food. They drag in moths and butterflies and uh caterpillars and grasshoppers and so on. That way they are beneficial to the garden. >> [music] >> Oh, there's a storm coming up. Well, the ants knew it before I did. We can see that from the way they're hustling around and they're going to make preparations to keep their ant city from storm damage. I also notice that the warriors there are rushing in [music] with some cocoons that they evidently stolen from a nearby community. [music] You know, ants do that. They kidnap cocoons from other communities and make slaves of those young ants when they emerge. Well, in addition to hiding their stolen goods, the [music] ants here are carrying down the cocoons from the fair weather position up near the entrance to the stormy weather cellars. [music] You notice that they carry those rather large cases very easily and also pack them away with a great deal of an expert touch. Well, that's because they do [music] it regularly. As soon as the weather changes, they start changing the position of the eggs and the cocoons [music] inside the nest. But they do know now that a storm is coming and they're hustling down the eggs and also the cocoons so that they will not be bothered by the weather. And when they have all that packed away, they go and bar the city gates. They they close the doors up there and and then they say, "Let it rain, [music] let it pour, we clever ants have barred the door." >> [bell] [music] [music] >> The mysteries of nature are as infinite as they are fascinating. Thousands of books have been written in an effort to explain these And the man who [music] can best explain them is of course our friend with the encyclopedic mind, Mr. John Kieran. Right now, Mr. Kieran is in his library with Paul Milford, his next door neighbor. Let's listen. John, there's one subject we haven't touched on yet and it's one that you're supposed to be quite famous for. Uh you wouldn't mean birds, would you? I would mean birds. You haven't had anything interesting to tell us about birds. Well, how about two birds fighting a sheep? I don't think that would be too interesting. It sounds like too much of an overmatch. Uh you mean cuz it's two to one? Well, no. It's just that Well, birds don't weigh very much and a sheep Well, that wouldn't work out too well. I don't think I'd be interested. Well, I know one parrot-like bird of Australia, the kea, with a fierce bill that said to kill sheep. But these are just two nice little birds. But they they win the fight against the sheep. Oh, I have to see this. You're on. But before we meet these birds, I'd like to introduce you to some friends of theirs and show you where they live. Every so often I go down to the shore and walk where the league-long roller breaks upon the beach. Why? Well, it always seems to me there's something doing along the seashore. There there is life in the air, there's life in the sea, and there's life along the beach, too. There are always sandpipers skipping back and and forward feeding as the waves recede and retreating as the waves come in. In all the waters of the world, you'll find gulls, gulls like these. In our harvest, it's the herring gull. This is a first cousin of the herring gull. They're very friendly birds. They scavengers. They help to keep our waters clean. And they follow ships for the food that the sailors or the passengers throw to them. Incidentally, the the adult birds are the ones with the white heads and white tails. It takes these gulls about 3 years to get their grown-up suit of clothes. The young ones are brown and mottled. All these are sheld ducks, s h e l d. They're very handsome, and in the springtime, their courtship is something to see and hear. So, in order to hear it as well as see it, we've hidden a microphone here. And they have a very odd way of display in the spring. Now, we'll just listen to it and watch it. It's the male that bobs its its head and utters that croaking sound. They gather in groups and look each other over, and one male drives off another. But finally, after having considered the matter duly, they begin to [music] pair off. That's the female on the right. Well, now our pair take off to find a nesting site. Now, here we are near the nesting site. That's the male. He's on guard, and he doesn't like the looks of us. And here's the female coming off her hidden nest in slow motion. And here's a close-up look at her eggs and nest. Notice the down in there. Here's another bird that nest along the beach. That's a plover, one of the many species of plover. They're generally pretty good whistlers. Just make a little hollow in the sand, lay the eggs, and sit on them. That's the life of the plover. All these are oystercatchers. And they have a remarkable courtship in the spring, [music] too. Now, watch them when they come in and start their song and dance. It's really something to hear and see. And this is the nest with a lot of little shells thrown around. And here's the mother oystercatcher. And the male is on guard, you'll notice. Now, the eggs are about to hatch, and we've put a microphone there so that we can hear and see a young oystercatcher working its way out of the shell. Now, as soon as these birds dry off, they can run away from the nest and follow their mother. It doesn't take long before they're on their way. Here's our young oystercatcher, only a few hours old. There's a balancing feet for you. Now, its mother takes it along and shows it what to eat and how to get it. Just watch this domestic lesson. >> [music] [music] >> All this is a game bird flying in. It's a first cousin to our yellowlegs. This is called a redshank. And here's its nest hidden in the grass. There are four eggs. And there's the mother. And notice how much she looks like the grass when [music] she nestles down on the nest. That's for protection. Here's a really handsome bird with a turned-up nose, too. This is an avocet, a v o c e t. Really striking pattern. It's the nesting time with the avocets, too. They have a little parade first. They feed on all sorts of small marine life that they find along the shore. Oh, here's the nest, and it's in a meadow right close by the sea. Again, it's a very simple nest, just a hollow, and the mother settles down on it. Uh-oh, there are some sheep that are pastured [music] nearby. And one of them is wandering near the nest of the avocets there, alarmed by it. See, the male is coming to the rescue, too. Uh-oh. Now, there's one. Of course, this sheep doesn't mean any harm, but if it stepped on the nest, it would crush the eggs, and that would ruin the avocet family. Here's a bigger one. And more stubborn, too. Well, the avocets are outweighed, but they're in there fighting. They're going to herd that sheep away from the nest at all costs. Pretty brave of those birds to tackle an animal of that size. Well, finally, they have warded it off. And the mother settles back on her nest. All's well. And within a few weeks, the young avocets will be feeding with their proud parents where the sea floods up to meet the land. And that's tonight's story, Paul. As Hamlet says, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in thy philosophy." And thanks to the miracles of science, we human beings are getting closer and closer toward solving the great riddle of the universe. >> [bell] [bell] [music] >> This is just a lot of [ __ ] >> Well, we've got to TRY EVERYTHING. >> I TELL YOU, IF ANYBODY can help us, he can. We've got nothing to lose. >> Can we get on with it? My father's expecting you. Please come in. >> [bell] >> Excuse us, sir, for bothering you, but uh we >> We came here because we >> I know why you've come. Well, if you know, then let's get to the point. They're coming in here Monday morning to evict us. They seem to think that you can help. The question is, can you? We've tried everything. But no one's listening. Not even our black city attorney. Me, I'm tired of talking. That's more involved here than just you and your hot heads. There's women and children. You want them hurt, too? You see our problem. We've exhausted every legitimate channel. You know things we don't know. Maybe you can call on your sources. Perhaps. But the time may not be right. >> WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME. 3 days to be exact. >> I'm sure he can do something. I can't make any promises. But I assure you, I'll try everything within my power. Hey, baby. Glad you could drop by. This isn't a social call. Okay. That housing thing again? Yes. What now? I told you I can't do anymore. Look, I've tried the court, the mayor, even the state attorney general. I'm expecting an answer within a week. I've gone as far as I can go. Yeah, I know you've tried. But what I'm here to find out is come Monday morning when they're out there with their clubs, where in the hell are you going to be? With them or with us? Just who's side are you on? Baby, do you really have to ask me that? I mean, you really don't know where I'm coming from by now? Thought I did. Sweetheart, why don't we talk this over over lunch? >> I'm sorry, I've got work to do. Then we can get together later? I've got to help my father with Well, what does your father got to do with it? Nothing. Never mind. >> WHAT'S THE MATTER, DAMMIT? I guess I just don't know who you are anymore. Look, why don't you see this thing from my point of view? I mean, don't you see the situation I'm in? MY HANDS ARE TIED. Then you'll just have to untie them, won't you? Oh, and not like that. I'll talk to you later. Have you found the answer, Woody? Perhaps. Your answer is foreign as six times Pluto. And yet the moment is not quite full. It's not right to rush these things. I must go out now. But why? It's so late. >> It's important. But I begin at once. Study this diagram while I'm out. >> [bell] [bell] [music] [music] [bell] [music] [music] [bell] [music] [music] >> I'm sorry to interrupt you, but the committee called. They want to know what you intend to do. Did you study the diagram? Yes, but I didn't understand it. Within that chart lies the key to the creation of a being so terrifying that the perpetrators of evil will not dare threaten the community again. A monster? What would scare them the most? Some giant. A Frankenstein monster leading the protest. Rabbi Loew, a Kabbalist, knew the correct combination of letters to breathe life into inanimate clay. I have discovered his formula. By combining these letters, these letters form the ineffable name of God. When you put them together like this, they look like a man. But that's just it. A figure that's part human, but powerful like a god. It's called a golem. But, Father, only God has the power to create life. Don't you realize >> know, but can't you see? A golem is a gift to man from God. I mold it, but he breathes life into it. The golem's power and strength can be used only for God's purposes. >> But, isn't there a danger? >> There's always some danger. But, for hundreds of years, have these spirits been invoked. But, we must take the chance. Tell the committee to be patient, but explain nothing of what you saw. All right. Now, I must work. >> [bell] [music] >> Captain Dixon. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I guarantee everything will go exactly as planned. No problem. Yes, they'll be armed and prepared. Just trust me. I'll make sure there are no slip-ups. All right, I appreciate that. Yes, sir. I've always counted on your support. Yes, of course I'll be there. Johnson, I want seven squad cars over here. Riot squad on standby here. Make sure you have two sharpshooters on the rooftops across the street. I want you to take personal charge of this operation. There's a lot riding on it. No weapons on. >> [screaming] >> I hear you're going to chain yourself to your porch. I'm worried. Ever since Bill died, I've had to fight my own battles. Now, you tell me, what else can I do? Wait for your father? Look, he's trying to He's working on something right now. >> What can he do? Conjure some ghosts or something? To be perfectly honest with you, that's exactly what he is doing. I'm going to tell you something that nobody else knows. He's building this creature. Look, I know it's unbelievable, >> You're damn right it is. You expect me to believe that? No. Not really. But, I'll tell you this, there will be something there. And if you're in the way, you could get hurt. Thanks. Thanks for the thought, honey. But, I've made it this far without the help of any ghosts. And I think I can make it one more day. Cuz come tomorrow morning, I'm going to be right here, standing my own ground. Now, if you really want to be helpful, grab a couple of those boxes and help me take them to the car. They may get my home, but these at least will be safe. They won't come to the street. No, wait a minute. I'll take care of this personally. You get rid of those newsmen. Can't you postpone this just two more days? I'm >> You looking to lose your job, boy? I'm just trying to keep things legal. That won't be necessary. FIRE! FIRE! WILL YOU STOP FIRING? DAMN IT! DON'T YOU see what's happening here? This whole situation is out of hand. If one of these women or children get killed, then you'll look like a goddamn fool. And how you going to explain that? Is this what YOU REALLY THINK THEY WANT? Cease fire. Cease fire. Call him off. Call him off. Father, help! They're coming for us. Darling, I never should have doubted you. I'm just glad you're safe. Is it over? For now. Jim Obi Wan Kenobi. >> [music] [music] [music] [bell] [music] [music]